1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to air-oil separators, more specifically to a closed system which silences and filters air in a flow line input to an engine, separates oil out of the contaminated engine atmosphere and regulates the pressure of the engine atmosphere.
2. Related Art
Prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,721,069, 4,184,858 and 4,724,807 relate to air-oil separators. The specifications and claims of these patents are incorporated herein by reference. In the '069 patent, the separator uses a baffle for producing primary separation of oil from the air-oil mixture and causes the mixture to be driven through filtration material. The oil separated from the mixture then drops to a reservoir for return back to the engine crankcase, oil pump, etc. The outlet conduit has a greater cross sectional area relative to the inlet port to provide a means whereby the pressure of the mixture or vapor introduced into the device can be reduced to near atmospheric pressure, contributing significantly to the action of the device.
In the '858 patent, which is an adaptation of the '069 patent, the filtering material is coated with a fluid to assist in removal of the oil from the air-oil mixture. The filtered air output of either separator may be passed to the clean air intake of the engine.